Caring Cabinets funded by Ruth & Emerson Booher Committee Advised Fund

VERSAILLES — Versailles Exempted Village schools were recently awarded a grant from the Ruth and Emerson Booher Committee Advised Fund to place Caring Cabinets in the school.

The Versailles Caring Cabinets will be located in a central location for all students in all grades to access at their own discretion or for the younger students with the help of a school staff member if needed. The Caring Cabinets will be stocked with clothing, toiletries, school supplies and other items for students in need.

The goal of providing a Caring Cabinet for the students is to allow them students who may need hygiene products or really any products to be able to access them on their own with a sense of discretion. The idea to create this space at Versailles Schools came from speaking with the high school guidance counselor and school nurse who shared that there are students at the school who need simple items like socks or deodorant but are sometimes too embarrassed or ashamed to ask for them. So, they have purchase some of these things on their own and find ways to deliver them to them in a manner that did not call them out in front of their peers.

The Caring Cabinet, a private space where students in need could discreetly pick up items they aren’t receiving at home due to a variety of reasons. Bars of soap, bottles of shampoo and body wash, packages of socks and underwear, tooth paste and toothbrushes will be some of the items that will be lining the closet’s shelves. The Caring Cabinet will be maintained by the Family-Student Support Liaison along with student groups. When it comes to recognizing student’s needs, staff will rely on their own observations, referrals from teachers/coaches/parents and the students themselves.